A Gilt and Lacquered Bronze Figure of a Lama

This lustrous gilt bronze figure of a lama gains its unusually warm golden patina from a layer of red lacquer under the gilding, a technique prevalent in Chinese Buddhist art during the Ming dynasty. Compare with a nearly identical gilt bronze lama, minus the red lacquer, which sold at Christie's New York on 18 March 2015 for $37,500 (lot 4019).